Pledge Element 2 - Next Steps for Local Governments

Carrying Out the Climate Smart Communities Pledge

Every Climate Smart Community should follow the following steps:

Appoint a Climate Smart Community coordinator, a Climate Smart Community task force and an internal "green team." The Climate Smart Community coordinator and task force assess community resources and issues and galvanize community support. The internal green team focuses on municipal operations and facilities.

Identify sources of greenhouse gases in the community and those associated with municipal operations.

Further Resources

To help initiate their climate programs or save money on implementation, many New York local governments have joined climate-related associations or advisory groups (see links on right).

Regional climate consortia are becoming increasingly active in New York: the Northern Westchester Energy Action Coalition (see link on right) is a 16-town group seeking cost containment for energy with a strong commitment to reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability (see link on right) is a membership association of local governments committed to climate protection and sustainability. More than 500 local governments in the U.S., including more than 40 in New York have become members of ICLEI and adopted its five milestone planning process for the development and implementation of climate smart initiatives.

The Climate Registry (TCR) (see link on right) is a nonprofit partnership that has established a common system for recording, independently verifying and publicly reporting greenhouse gas emissions. Twenty-one New York public and private organizations, including three local governments, DEC and NYSERDA have enrolled as reporting members to the Climate Registry. Though membership is voluntary, reporting entities are required to verify and publicly report their emissions.